Earthly Garden

Good evening!

I am the Roses Editor over at BellaOnline and I thought I’d share some of the questions my readers there have asked me in hopes that it might help some of you as well!

Q: I like the look of rosehips, so is deadheading really important?

A: It all depends on the rose. If you have one of the varieties that only blooms once, then you really don’t have to worry about it, but otherwise you’ll want to deadhead regularly until about 6 weeks before the first frost in your area to insure the most blooms!

Q: I think my roses might have black spot. Is there a non-chemical way to treat it?

A: Black spot is a fungal disease that attacks roses. It causes black spots with a fringed margin to appear on the leaves. Affected leaves eventually yellow and fall off. You can make a non toxic spray that is very effective by mixing the following and putting it in a spray bottle:

1 gallon of lukewarm water
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid (not the kind for dishwashers!)

Spray daily with this mixture in the early morning. You can prevent the fungus from spreading by removing diseased canes, and keeping the leaves dry between rainstorms. In the fall, clean away any fallen leaves as they give the fungus a place to spend the winter.

Q: Why won’t my roses bloom? I get lots of shiny green leaves but no flowers!

A: There are several reasons why a rose won’t produce flowers. The most obvious is that the plant is simply too young. Young roses need time to establish a healthy root system and plenty of strong canes and foliage before they are ready to produce flowers. Another common reason for not blooming is a lack of sunlight. Roses need at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Have you been giving them too much of a good thing? Overfeeding will cause vigorous growth of foliage but no blooms. Finally, take a good look at your plants. Are they dry? Showing signs of disease or insect damage? A plant has to be healthy and have plenty of water to thrive and produce flowers.

Q: How much water do my rose bushes need?

Roses like soil that remains moist but not wet. Obtaining that depends on the type of soil in your area. To determine how much your roses need, turn on your hose and let it run on your roses (try not to get the leaves wet) for 10 minutes, then turn it off and leave things for 30 minutes. After that, dig a hole next to them and see how far down the water has penetrated. Adjust as needed to make sure the root system is reached, and then wait a few days and dig again. The top layer of soil may be dry but it should be damp further down. If not you’ll have to plan on watering twice a week.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, rose care, gardens, black spot, rose hips

gardening, rose care, gardens, black spot, rose hips